Beth Johnson, Director of Middle & Upper School Admission, William Penn Charter School

Bio: Beth is completing her fifth year as the Director of Middle and Upper School Admissions at William Penn Charter School. After graduating from FCS as a lifer and attending college, she returned to her alma mater as Assistant Director of Admission and later became Director of Admission and Financial Aid. Beth holds a B.S. in Elementary Education from St. Joseph’s University and a Master’s Degree from the University of Pennsylvania in Educational Leadership. She led workshops and served as a panelist for organizations such as the Secondary Admission Test Board (SSATB), National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS: People of Color Conference), Association for Delaware Valley Independent Schools (ADVIS), A Better Chance, Inc. (ABC), and Steppingstone Scholars, Inc. Additionally, she served on the boards of Friends Council on Education, ADVIS, and The Multicultural Resource Center. Currently, she is in her eighth year serving as a mentor in the Independent School Leadership Program at the University of Pennsylvania.Contact Info: Beth can be reached by email at bjohnson@penncharter.com

John Zurcher, Director of Enrollment Management, William Penn Charter School

Bio: John began teaching middle school in the late 80s and moved into admissions and financial aid work in the mid 90s, working with all lower, middle and upper school divisions in suburban and urban schools. Systems, statistics, databases, and reports are what he finds intrinsically interesting, along with finding solutions to problems that arise. John is married to a teacher, has a daughter just beginning her teaching career and has two younger children in college. If you have a question about science fiction or fantasy literature, please come ask, but budget some time for the ensuing discussion.

Tom Coyle, Assistant Director of Admission/Athletics, William Penn Charter School

Bio: Tom currently serves as Assistant Director of Admissions at The William Penn Charter School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is also head coach of the school’s varsity football team. Over the past four years, Tom has assisted prospective middle and upper school families in the application, admissions, and financial aid process. Prior to his arrival at Penn Charter, Tom served as Director of Admissions at Fr. Judge High School in Philadelphia. A graduate of Fr. Judge High School, Tom was the school’s first Director of Admissions where he implemented a multi-level admissions plan that kept the school vibrant in a climate where partnering schools were closing at a rapid pace. Shortly after leaving his alma mater to assume a new position at Penn Charter, Tom was inducted into the Fr. Judge High School Hall of Fame. He was presented with the “Crusader Award”. This recognition has been reserved for graduates that have made a significant contribution to the school. Over his 13 years at Fr. Judge, the school enjoyed an all-male enrollment of over 1200 students. In his role as football coach, Tom received “Coach of the Year” recognition from the Philadelphia Catholic League and the Philadelphia Dailey News. Tom’s 2012 Fr. Judge football team traveled to Ireland to play a game in the city of Navan.